Death toll hits 108 as divers pull more bodies from sunken ferry

Coast Guard, Navy and civilian divers recovered more than 40 bodies Monday from a sunken ferry off South Korea's southwest coast as they continued a desperate search for missing passengers.

The death toll from the capsized ferry Sewol rose to 104 as of 9:35 a.m., Tuesday, including three foreign victims, as divers focused their search on the third and fourth decks of the five-story vessel, where most of those unaccounted for are believed to have been trapped.

Hundreds of divers struggled to search inside ship for 198 people who remain missing after the 6,825-ton ferry Sewol capsized off the southwestern coast of Jindo on a foggy Wednesday morning.

Of the 476 people on board, only 174 passengers, including the ferry's captain and most of its crew, were rescued after the boat, en route from the western port city of Incheon to the southern resort island of Jeju, listed due to what is believed to have been a sharper than usual turn.

The dining hall on the third floor, in particular, has been cited as one of several areas where many of the passengers are expected to be found, along with lounges and shopping areas.

"So far, divers have set up a total of five guide lines.
Multiple rescue workers have been trying to enter inside the boat at the same time to speed up operations," said Ko Myeong-seok, a spokesman for the government task force handling the disaster, referring to lines that help workers move down to and inside the sunken vessel.

2014/04/16

The search and rescue efforts for the passengers of the sunken ferry Sewol resumed early Thursday with 287 people still unaccounted for. As the search continues, the authorities deployed 171 ships, 29 aircraft and scores of divers from 6 a.m. Thursday.

The rescuers are also considering injecting oxygen into the capsized ship to supply air to those who may be trapped inside.

Survivors still inside capsized ferry

Korean authorities on Thursday said they were investigating claims that there were still survivors stuck inside the sunken ferry Sewol.

A family member of one of 289 missing passengers who had been onboard the doomed ship said early Thursday that the school children were barricaded in the ship. “My husband said a civilian diver who participated in the rescue mission heard children shout ‘help’ inside the ship,” she said. “I also heard that divers rescued a survivor around 7:40 p.m.”

Others also reported the survival of some passengers from the Sewol, which sank off the coast of Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province.

A man supposedly at Paengmok port, where family members of the missing are gathered, said via Facebook that one of the missing people called his or her family and said four people were staying near an arcade inside Sewol. Late Wednesday, a text message from a student allegedly inside the ship was revealed. It said “I’m alive. Rescue me.”

The Coast Guard, however, said there was little possibility that the message was authentic, since the sender’s name was not on the list of passengers. Authorities said none of the claims have yet been confirmed, but added that they were investigating to verify each report.

Search continues as death toll from ferry disaster rises to 9

The search and rescue efforts for the passengers of the sunken ferry Sewol resumed early Thursday with 287 people still unaccounted for. As the search continues, the authorities deployed 171 ships, 29 aircraft and scores of divers from 6 a.m. Thursday.

The rescuers are also considering injecting oxygen into the capsized ship to supply air to those who may be trapped inside. Although rescuers worked through the night, little progress was made in locating the missing. As of 11:00 a.m., the death toll stood at nine, while the number of people rescued inched up to 179 from about 160 the day before.

Of the nine, five are students of Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and two are teachers who were accompanying the students on their school trip to Jejudo Island. The eighth is 22-year-old Park Ji-young, a member of the ship’s crew. The recently identified man was found to be 28-year-old Kim Ki-woong. Of the 475 people on board, 329 were Danwon High School students and teachers.

The ferry, operated by Chonghaejin Marine Co., began to sink at about 8:55 a.m. on Wednesday about 20 kilometers off the coast of Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province. The ferry was heading to Jejudo Island from Incheon. The area where the ship sank is said to be rocky, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries revealed that the ferry began to drift in an unexpected direction from 8:52 a.m.

Although a massive rescue mission involving the Armed Forces, Coast Guard and civilian vessels was launched almost immediately with the government setting up a central command, efforts have been hampered by strong currents and murky underwater conditions. Little is known about the cause of the accident, but survivors report that there was a loud noise before the ferry began to sink, fueling speculations that it may have hit a reef.

In addition, there are speculations that the Sewol may have deviated from the usual route in order to make up for lost time. Due to heavy fog in Incheon late Tuesday evening, the ferry’s departure was delayed.

2014/04/14

The shameless politics of Japan discovered by CBS

Yoshimatsu Ikumi, the winner of Japanese beauty pageant, criticized the absurd
remarks about the comfort women, through which she is condemned by Japanese
netizens.
Yoshimatsu Ikumi, the winner of ‘Miss International 2012’, appeared CBS radio
broadcast of the United States on March 29, and during exchange talks with Robin
Morgan, the feminist activist, she expressed her thoughts about the comfort women
for Japanese forces.

At that time, the MC, Morgan said, "The Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, that the
apology taken a couple of years about the comfort women during World War II
shall be withdrawn", and about this Yoshimatsu expressed her opinion, "As a
Japanese I feel ashamed of the speech of right-wingers and I'm sad as a women."

And, as the comments became known in Japan, some Japanese people spoke ill
of her, but some other people spoke good of her, the comments are to be split.
However, in China and Korea she could receive a big welcome.
The Japanese government should reflect on itself.
We do not hate Japanese people. However, the right-wing forces in Japan and the
putrid conservative Japanese politicians, who accept the lies like the truth and act,
are only ridiculous.

2014/04/12

German store apologizes over Hitler coffee mugs

A German furniture store chain has apologized for selling coffee mugs featuring faint portraits of Adolf Hitler it had mistakenly ordered from a Chinese supplier, a news report said on Thursday.

The vintage-style ceramic cups feature a faint image of a Nazi-era postage stamp that shows a black-and-white profile of Hitler, postmarked with a swastika stamp, all obscured by other design elements including a rose and cursive script.
The Zurbrueggen furniture chain had ordered a batch of 5,000 of the mugs and had already sold at least 175 when the mistake was noticed, reported the Neue Westfaelische Zeitung daily from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The owner blamed the “terrible” mistake on “a stupid chain of unfortunate circumstances” involving a Chinese designer who has mistakenly chosen the image of the Nazi leader, the news report said.

“No one noticed the problem during unpacking,” the store owner told the newspaper, adding that every customers who had bought a mug would be compensated with a 20-euro ($27) gift voucher.

Now, it's time to turn out the winner of K-Pop Star 3.

K-Pop Star 3 had been began from 24 Nov. 2013, last year.
By tomorrow the final winner will be turned out.
(April 13, Sunday 16:40, Broadcast)
The favorites are Sam Kim or Bernard Park.
For the first time through the past seasons ever the male winner will be born.

The genealogy of the winners of Park JiMin in 'Season 1' and Akdong Musician in
'Season 2' shall be stepped into the male winner a participant in 'Season 3'.
Unlike the last seasons, when the female power stood out, in 'Season 3' the power
of male participants was fresh, and now the conclusion is emerging as an urgent
concern.

Sam Kim sang 'Honey' of Park JinYoung, and recorded a peak of 298 points.
And Bernard Park sang 'Who's loving you' of Michael Jackson, and received 282
points.
Like this, Sam Kim and Bernard Park took the last tickets of Top 2.

The styles of Bernard Park and Sam Kim are so different. Whether the emotion will
win or the groove can beat, nobody cannot expect.
'K-Pop Star 3' was always difficult to predict the winner of the audition round.
At the moment, at the situation of leaving just only the final stage it's also
impossible to predict.

Samsung remains World's No. 1 IT brand

Samsung is bigger than Apple. can you believe it ?.
maybe. i was wondering if you don`t like believe it.
Samsung Electronics has retained
its status as the world’s No. 1 corporate IT brand for the second consecutive year.
In a two-month survey conducted by Strategy Analytics in December and January on 6,000 consumers in the United States and Europe, Samsung proved to be the overwhelming leader.

Samsung, which scored 57.2 points, was followed by Sony and Microsoft.

Apple, which ranked fourth last year, came in in fifth place,
perhaps hinting that Samsung is way ahead of the smartphone game in the global market, the publisher of the survey results said. Samsung has, over the past few years, emerged as the top-selling smartphone maker in the world market, placing Apple at a distant second with the gap increasing by the year.

Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate company
headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul.

The Final Story K-Pop Star 3 on D-1

The winner of the K-Pop Star 3 will be turned out on Sunday, April 13.
T winner will be one of Bernard Park or Sam Kim.
'Akdong Musician', the winner of the K-Pop Star 2 and the MCs of K-Pop Star 3
will hold a Talk Show on Saturday, April 12, so it's a day before the birth of the
winner of K-Pop Star 3 as a special broadcast.

At 'The Final Story of K-Pop Star 3 on D-1' the eight months journey will be
looked back through the growth charts of the performers of TOP 2, Sam Kim and
Bernard Park, and will be predicted the final result tomorrow.
'The Final Story of K-Pop Star 3 on D-1' will provide from beginning to end of
K-Pop Star 3, and you can check them at 20:45 on Saturday, April 12, in the
broadcast. And at 4:30 pm on Sunday evening, April 13,
finally the winner of the K-Pop Star 3 will be decided.

Personally, I would expect to win Bernard Park.
He is a Korean born in Atlanta, USA, and is a student of
Georgia Gwinnett College, and as he helps his parents,
who is operating laundry got a nickname of 'laundry son'.
Thanks to Bernard Park, Georgia Gwinnett College,
where he is attending, is now attracting the attention in Korea.

As a person, who pray for the winning of Bernard Park tomorrow,
I'm waiting for the long-awaited winner of K-Pop Star 3.

Galaxy S5 still rings after SUV runs over

samsung is Korean global brand.
A recent YouTube video proved Samsung Galaxy S5’s impressive durability as even an SUV failed to break the phone in a test, MK Business News said Friday. In the video, a man named Matt conducted multiple comparison tests using Galaxy S4 and S5. He ran the vehicle over the phone with front and rear wheels.

To the tester’s amazement, S5 came out unscathed except a cracked back glass. Prior to the SUV test, Matt dropped two phones from different heights to verify how well they withstand crashing on hard surfaces. Starting from waist-high to head levels to three meters in height, he dropped each phone in separate trials. The video showed that while S5 survived all three free-falls, S4’s front glass cracked at the three-meter drop. Some electronics-related news outlets, however, mentioned the test wasn’t conducted in the most proper ways any scientific test are handled.

The disagreement was based on the fact that the results vary depending on at which angles the phones hit the ground.

2014/04/11

South Koreans crave Asia's smelliest fish

The aroma of one of South Korea's most popular delicacies is regularly compared to rotting garbage and filthy bathrooms. And that's by fans.

The unusual dish is typically made by taking dozens of fresh skate, a cartilage-rich fish that looks like a stingray, stacking them up in a walk-in refrigerator and waiting. Up to a month in some cases.

“You know when it's done by the smell,'' said Kang Han-joo, co-owner of a seafood store in the bustling fish market of Mokpo, a port city on the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, a region that's considered the food's spiritual home. As Kang spoke, he sliced small, stinking, glistening dark-pink fish steaks with a large knife and laid them in plastic foam boxes for shipment to customers around South Korea.

The smell of the fish, called hongeo in Korean and usually eaten uncooked, is unmistakable, unavoidable and a deal-breaker for many. A profound, pungent stink of ammonia radiates from the animal after it's been ripening for weeks. First-timers often squeeze their eyes shut as they chew. Tears stream down the cheeks. The throat constricts with the effort of swallowing.

Kang notes, in a dramatic understatement: "When it's fermented a long time, the smell becomes deeper.''

Americans are still getting used to gentler fermented Asian foods _ spicy Korean kimchi and Japanese miso, for example _ yet many South Koreans claim a love, an addiction even, for this extreme form of fermentation. Restaurants specializing in the fish can be found throughout the country. One online hongeo appreciation society boasts more than 1,300 members.

"Some people start to crave it as soon as they smell the ammonia,'' said Shin Jin-woo, a seafood store worker in Mokpo. ``There's no need to advertise how intense the smell is. Everyone already knows.''

Shin's store has two fermentation refrigerators. Walk into one and a blast of ammonia burns the eyes, the nose and sinuses, the tongue, throat and lungs. Skate are fermented up to 15 days in the first refrigerator, where the temperature is 2.5 degrees C (36.5 F), and up to another 15 days in the second at 1 C (34 F).

Shops in Mokpo custom-ferment the fish and ship the results to restaurants and hongeo fans around South Korea.

The vast majority of the more than 11,000 tons of hongeo consumed in the country comes not from South Korean-caught fish but from cheaper frozen imports. Shop owners thaw and clean the imported fish, which can cost up to five times less than the local version, and place the hongeo in refrigerators to ferment.

Hongeo's history is murky, but it emerged in the days before refrigeration, when food that could keep for a long time without rotting was prized. Someone _ maybe a fisherman on a long voyage or a clever, hungry or desperate farmer _ discovered that skate didn't spoil as easily as other fish and a dish was born.

Shop owners say the traditional method of making hongeo is to put the fish on a bed of hay in a clay pot, pile more hay on top and leave it.

Learning to love, or at least tolerate, what many consider the smelliest fish in Asia takes perseverance. Fans commonly say that if you try it four times, you'll be hooked. Nonfans may be mystified by how anyone could meet that threshold.

"It's a freaking punch in the face,'' said Joe McPherson, the founder of ZenKimchi, a Korean food blog, and an eventual devotee of the fish. ``Like everyone else, I gagged the first time.''

Natives of the southwest say hongeo should be eaten plain. They sometimes complain that the copious garnishes provided at restaurants disguise the taste and smell.

Most first-timers, however, tend to embrace all the extras they can, creating a hongeo "sandwhich'' with garnishes that can include red pepper paste, salty mini shrimp, raw garlic, chili salt, slices of fatty boiled pork and some extraordinarily strong kimchi.

Even with ``some of the most powerful flavors in the world to put up against it ... it does not cover up the flavor at all,'' McPherson said.

The extremely chewy texture _ spongy flesh and hard cartilage _ also makes for tough swallowing. And the smell of ammonia is so powerful it lingers for hours on clothes, skin and hair.

The second time, if there is one, is usually a little better.

One trick is to inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose while eating. This helps fight the smell some and also intensifies a surprising tingling and cooling _ almost minty _ sensation in the mouth, throat and face.

There are various theories explaining the food's popularity. Some Koreans describe their craving as similar to the desire for a cigarette: You want it despite its obvious negatives. McPherson says the fish is also valued for its interesting texture and the sensation it produces in the mouth _ two things that can be as important to Koreans as flavor. There's also something convivial about hongeo restaurants, where large amounts of strong Korean booze are as ubiquitous as the fish.

Still, while some Korean restaurants in the United States serve hongeo, it's unlikely to catch on except "in hardcore foodie circles,'' McPherson said. ``I can see maybe college fraternities hazing their freshmen with this, but it's very much a `dare' food. Like live octopus.'' (AP)

Why Bruno Mars could not come to Korea?

The credit card penetration rate of Korea is the world best.
The fact was also found in a report released by CNN of the United States.
This means, that almost every Korean, not minor, is using credit cards.
So, the credit card companies in Korea hold a number of cultural festivals
autonomously, at this time Bruno Mars had been delivered
his intention to come to the festival of the credit card companies.
But ... he was rejected for the following reasons.
(The image below is the story of the CEO of the credit card company.)

Jeong TaeYeong@diegobluff 23th. Jan. 2014
One of foreign singer has been contacted to Hyundai Card Co., Ltd. to hold a
Korea performance, although his Korea performance is the first time, I believe that
he must be apparently a good artist. If it used to be, of course it would be
proceeded as super concert. But now it is time to have some spirit in a super
concert also, so I have been just passed it. Because he is still young and also
has a few sheets of the album, therefore he seems to have only smaller echo.

The CEO of the credit card company would invite some more famous person
with years of experience, and left his saying on his Twitter,
that he will put off Bruno Mars a little more.
Through which, the invited singer is... Paul McCartney.

It's said, that Bruno Mars could not say anything why he was not invited.
And Paul McCartney is on the way of preparation for
Korea performance on 28. May 2014.

Akdong Musician, the winner of K-Pop Star 2, debuted

This Sunday, the winner of K-Pop Star 3 will be turned out.
Hundreds of thousands of people have participated in the audition,
and now the last two persons have been left.
Finally, a one-year spectacular big run becomes to a close at this coming Sunday.
The front runner is Sam Kim or Bernard Park.
Both of them are Korean young people living in a foreign country.

And, last Sunday Akdong Musician, the winner of the K-Pop Star 2,
has been debuted.
When they came in K-Pop Star 2 for the first time,
they seemed to be just an ordinary brother and sister.

Akdong Musician has been shot several CFs with their winning for Korea's famous
baking & telecommunication companies.
They also have been actively involved in various OST of drama and movie.

And now, the full album was released.
After official releasing of the full album the first official debut was also K-Pop Star.
All songs are produced by Akdong Musician directly.
Just merely 19-year-old brother and 16-year-old sister have made all of the
music, but on the day of album released 5 songs of
Akdong Musician came up in the Top 10 of all music charts in Korea.

What a great brother and sister! Akdong Musician...

And, on this Sunday! Finally, the winner of the K-Pop Star 3 will be determined.
One of them is now expected to go beyond Akdong Musician.

2014/04/10

90% of foreigners ‘would like to date a Korean’

About 9 in 10 foreigners said they are willing to date a Korean if given a chance, according to a survey conducted by a Korea-based matchmaking firm.
Matchmaker Duo conducted the survey on 1,147 foreign users of Korspot,
a social networking ad platform for Korean culture, Yonhap reported.

Of 642 female participants, 27.4 % picked “interest in Korean culture and language” as a reason for willingness to date a Korean man, followed by
13.1 % replying to “Korean men seem diligent and responsible.”

On the other hand, 505 male participants had a different stance on why they would like to date a Korean woman. About 23.2 % said “pretty face” was the reason while 16.2 % picked “a lot of aegyo.” Aegyo is a Korean word that has the closest meaning to winsome and it is used mostly by women, balancing sweetness, cuteness, poutiness, modesty, thoughtfulness and submissiveness.

About 40 % of the respondents said that they would not like to date a Korean
because of ”cultural differences.”

In the survey, female respondents picked actor Kim Soo-hyun as the most sought-after male Korean celebrity while male foreigners selected actress Jun Ji-hyun. The two celebrities costarred in the popular Korean drama “My Love from the Star.”

Fullkorea is introduced to Korean media.

Fullkorea is managed by Korean.
However, 90% of visitors to fullkorea are mostly form U.S., Canada, South East
Asia, South America and European not Korea.
The blog did not try to notify Korea and had no activities targeted Korean people.
Just because of the purpose to notify Korea overseas, the promoting targets are
foreigners like you not Korean.
Recently, however, one Korean media reported the articles of fullkorea.
Of course, it must be something to be thankful for.
Thanks to that, it seems to be growing a little by Korean visitors.

Fullkorea has been introduced Rising Sun Flag of Japan
has the same meaning with Swastika of Nazi, Germany.
Both of them were applied at the time of the massacre of people
during the Second World War.
Germany seems not to like Swastika, but in contrary Japan seems to be proud of
militarism at that time. Japan were ashamed of the Rising Sun Flag like Germany,
then Japan would never prepare such uniform for
2014 World Cup by copying the pattern of the Rising Sun Flag.
And also, Japan could not dare to declare to wear
going out the official game, even if prepared it.

But regretfully, Japan will participate 2014 World Cup
in Brazil wearing the uniform containing Rising Sun Flag.
We will find no difference in Germany if wearing the uniform with Swastika.
The images below are fakes. Germany never do such things.

I wonder, whether I have to conserve the violent words like ?
I'm a Korean.
We had been lost numerous brothers through the massacre by Japan.

On the other hand, Bernard Park has scored 282 points by
showing a little weaker appearance than the last TOP4 stage.

They are all young Korean living abroad. Now Sam Kim is 16 years old and
Bernard Park is 22 years old. They must be still singers with very bright future.
Also, nobody can expect who will be a winner.
However, independent of the winner, it is clear that the real proper singer will be
born no doubt.
The winner of the K-pop Star 3 will be debuted immediately, and receive a car of
Korea's Hyundai Motors, the global automotive brand.
In addition, he will receive prize money of KRW300 million (US$ 286,000).

2014/04/06

Dropping-out of Kwon Jin Ah in Kpop Star 3

The semi-final stage of K-pop Star 3
was the position of dropping-out one out of three,
Sam Kim, Bernard Park and Kwon JinAh.And Kwon JinAh was that the dropout.
Kwon JinAh, the only female singer and a 17-year-old high school student of
semi-final, was dropped out before the final stage.

K-pop Star 3 shall be terminated by the final TOP 2 next week through the long
journey for eight months. Hereby, this winner of the K-pop Star 3
shall be one of Sam Kim and Bernard Park.

Kwon Jin Ah sang 'Love' of Primary, Bernard Park sang 'Who's lovin' you' of
Jackson Five's and Sam Kim sang 'Honey' of Park JingYoung.
Kwon JinAh mentioned placid, "I do not regret now because I did my best. Thanks
all of you for a lot of praise, and for me you have been done too much.".

But she must be a regrettable dropout.
Her dropout is not the end, because a new debut will be announced soon.
So far, many various singers, though not a winner, but attracted popularity, have
been debuted successfully.
It is expected, that she will debut through "AntennaMusic",
the agency of Yu HuiYeol, in the official.
Already, K-pop Star is born. The first birth might be Kwon JinAh.

Galaxy S5’s antitheft features lauded in the U.S.

Samsung is south korean Global brand. you Know ?.
A move by Samsung to include free antitheft features on its Galaxy S5 smartphones sold by Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular won praise on Friday by two U.S. members of an international coalition aimed at combating robberies involving smartphones.

The new features allow Galaxy S5 users to track devices and require the owner’s account information to reset the phone. The features, Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock, will come installed in the phones but must be activated by users.

“The decision ... to provide Samsung’s Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock features on Galaxy S5 smartphones and to allow those features to be activated for free is a step forward in our effort to ensure the industry makes effective theft deterrents available on every smartphone sold in America,” New York’s attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, and San Francisco’s district attorney, George Gascon, said in a statement.

Schneiderman and Gascon, along with London Mayor Boris Johnson, are co-chairs of the coalition Secure Our Smartphone Initiative.

They said, however, that they remain “concerned that consumers will need to opt in to the system, thereby limiting the ubiquity and effectiveness of the solution.” Both Schneiderman and Gascon have criticized the cell phone industry for what they say is a perceived unwillingness to solve an escalating theft problem.

Schneiderman has publicly supported bills currently in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate that would require a kill switch to be installed in every smartphone manufactured in the United States. The switch would prevent the phone from being re-activated in the black market.

In 2012, 1.6 million Americans were victimized for their smartphones, according to Schneiderman’s office.

2014/04/01

Avengers 2, being shot in Seoul, the capital city of Korea

Avengers 2 (The Avengers: Age of Ultron) is being shot in Korea, currently.
The story so far known of Avengers 2 is that the heroes including Iron Man,
Captain America, Thor and Hulk etc.
gather and unfold the fights against the intelligent robot Ultron.
About 20 minutes of the film's running time of 2 hours
has the background of Seoul, the capital city of Korea.

Avengers 2 is likely to be released in the year of 2015 simultaneously worldwide.
The story could be expected, that in Seoul, the intelligent robot Ultron is
developed, and the developer is the Korean scientist, and to prevent a riot of
Ultron the heroes including Iron Man, Captain America,
Thor and Hulk etc. fly to Seoul.
Korea is a country having global brands of Samsung, LG, Hyundai Motor & Kia
Motors, and also Seoul is a background city of 'Gangnam Style' of Psy.
Therefore, it might be selected because of its suitability as a
background for birth of new intelligent robot.
Meanwhile, 'Frozen', the animation of Disney,
had been attracted 10 million viewers in Korea only.

For the smooth shooting of Avengers 2 in Korea by considering of the
nonnegligible ticket power and cinema audiences of Korea, the government gave
permission to the opening of some roads.